The Underdog Millionaire Blog » Customer Service

How My Dog’s Ear Infection Can Help Your Business

Joshua Black — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:35:33 +0000

If you have been around Ye Old Underdog Millionaire Tip Sheet for awhile, you’ll know that I have a secret marketing weapon that is not available to anyone else on the planet.

You see, my dog happens to be one of the best sales and marketing mentors around. He’s been with me when I came up with many new ideas for products and today is no exception.

My 90-pound friend has an ear infection. The only reason I know that is because he told me. At first he shook his head a little more than usual. Then he scratched more than usual. When I didn’t get the hint, he would pace around the house and dive-bomb the carpet so he could slide across his head, like a baseball player sliding into home.

…I finally got the clue and today we are going to the vet.

So, what on earth does my dog’s rotten ear have anything to do with your business? Plenty. When something is not quite right in your business, there are many tell-tale signs that were given BEFORE the bigger problem occurs.

Maybe you lost half your customers to your competition. However, for months before that, you were slacking off on your customer service, you went cheap on your marketing, or maybe you didn’t call a few people back, because it wasn’t convenient.

Perhaps you overheard a customer’s negative comment. Maybe you got a few emails out of the blue, asking you to fix certain things about your business.

These are all signs of a small business ear infection. They are completely reversible, but will take some actual work on your part. A business does not go south overnight.

When a business gets in big trouble is right about the time the owner has stopped tuning in to the signals, or even worse, has lost passion and excitement for the business.

If you want to avoid a goopy ear in your business then you need to make sure you address the little things as they happen. When you get a single email from a customer about something, it usually means that there are hundreds of others thinking the same thing, with only one brave soul letting you know.

Don’t assume that all complaints are immediately wrong. Just because it’s your business does not make you the “super-fancy king of the universe.” The only reason you are around is because your customers allow you to be. Without them, you are left holding the penicillin.

There are other times when your business is running like a well-oiled machine, your customers love you, but you just aren’t growing. This is most-likely due to the fact that you’ve not branched out in enough directions to get more customers (and you may need to increase the dollar amount and frequency of each sale).

If you’re looking for 101 different ways to get customers completely for free, no matter what business you are in, then you might want to sign up for the Underdog Millionaire 101 notification list (upper right hand corner of the blog).

This is a separate list from the Tip Sheet, and only people on it will receive a big ‘ol pile of extra goodies on launch day.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Click the image to get the FREE

Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
http://www.how-to-business-network.com
http://www.ranking-higher-seo.com
http://www.UnderdogMillionaire.com/blog
http://www.sales-letter-system.com
http://www.closing-the-sale.com
http://www.information-product-report.com
http://www.UltimateUSPcreator.com
http://www.underdog-success-formula.com

_________________________________________

Are You Creating a Sale or A Customer?

Joshua Black — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:34:12 +0000

There is an old business saying that goes:

“it is only a sale until they come back, then it’s a customer”

There is so much value in the little sentence… make sure you read that puppy a couple times. This is something that I know I have been guilty of in the past, so I’m sure you may have been as well.

If you are focusing on just making that individual sale, closing just one time and then moving on, you could be running your business to the red-line.

The businesses that create consistent growth over time, and have the ability to weather the storm year after year, are the ones that build CUSTOMERS and not sales.

It does not matter whether you are selling over the Internet, in your underwear at your kitchen table, or you are selling a service face-to-face. It’s all the same. You have to create a relationship with your customer. You need to start thinking of your customer as your friend, because after all, they are providing for you financially, so it is your DUTY as a business owner to provide then nothing less than the best possible service that you can provide.

Here are 10 simple things that you can do to cement that customer relationship:

1. Call them out of the blue with a tip that will help them, unrelated to your business. Ask them about their life and actually care about the answer. This is NOT a sales call.

2. Email them a positive press clipping that you found about their business with a congratulatory note.

3. Use the power of referrals in your network to help them out with other services, such as legal if you are not a lawyer.

4. Send them to your competition (yeah, you think I’m crazy, but hold on)- If you cannot provide them the best possible service for the customer’s given situation, send them to someone who can. Your customer will respect this ballsy move FOREVER. They will not forget it and will come back to when they need you.

5. Give them a huge discount if they are one of your best customers, something where you might not make any money on a transaction, and let them know it.

6. Remember their birthdays, anniversaries, dog’s birthday, the day they got the measles… whatever. Send them a card in the actual MAIL, not email. This will go a long way. DO NOT PITCH YOUR BUSINESS in these cards, like my idiot car salesman does.

7. If you have a commodity-like product with lots 0f competition, treat them as if they are the last customer you will ever have.

8. Don’t let them forget about you. Create a newsletter that is mailed or email on a frequent basis to share valuable tips about your industry and let them know the cool things that you have going on in your business.

9. Have a picnic- What other oil change place is going to have a pony ride for the kids? What other landscaper on earth is going to throw a customer bar-b-que? What consultant takes all of their customers out for ice cream?

10. Rewards programs- Develop a frequent buyer’s club or some kind fo system that provides incentive for only doing business with you. If you are in retail you MUST do this or you are missing out on thousands of dollars. If you sell anything else, this would probably be very unique to your industry. I hav yet to see anyone do this with information products.

What do you think? What are a few ways that you like to use to create customers instead of just a sale?

If you want 101 more ways to get customers for FREE and to keep them for life, then stay-tuned. Underdog Marketing 101 is on it’s way and it’s the most powerful book I’ve written, to date.

There is going to be a pre-release notification coming out soon, so stay tuned and make sure you sign up. Anyone that makes a purchase during the launch will get a big bag of goodies that will not be available to anyone else that purchases the book outside of the launch.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Click the image to get the FREE Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

How NOT to Sell- Courtesy of Uncle Rico

Joshua Black — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:28:54 +0000

The most FORTUNATE thing happened to me last Friday. It was the most perfect learning experience and I could not pass it up. While I was busy minding my own business at home, a guy the looked just like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite came to my house to try and sell me something.

…this is GOOD stuff.

I mean this is sooooo good I couldn’t make it up if I tried. In fact, I have been an idiot all weekend, because I couldn’t wait to share it with you today (I know that my fiancee will be happy that I am over it).

Ok, here’s the story:

There I was, just minding my own business, when a rusty Astro van pulls up in my driveway. A guy with aviator sunglasses and a bad tie was behind the wheel, but the magic didn’t happen until the rusty Astro door squeaked open to reveal a guy that looked just like Uncle Rico.

He was carrying something pink in his hand, throwing it up in the air and whistling as he came to the house.

My dog was going insane as my fiancee was trying to keep him from eating “the whistler” as I answered the door.

At first I couldn’t believe it. This guy looked and acted just like Uncle Rico-and in case you haven’t seen this movie, there are some critical sales lessons in there. You should rent it tonight!

Anyway, I open the door and Rico is standing there shoving a giant pink can of bathroom air freshener spray in my face.

The FIRST thing he told me was that he was trying to win a golf trip.

He then asks me if I would be interested in trying out the Utra Mega 9000 (name changed to protect the innocent), an “American Made” product… and just for looking at it, I would get this SWEET pink can of fart spray in return.

I handed the can back to him and sent him along his way. The entire transaction lasted no more than 30 seconds.

In hindsight, I wish I had let the guy give his demo, because I would have even more to share, but he was REAL creepy so I wasn’t about to let him in my house.

So what did we learn from Uncle Rico…how NOT to sell.

Here are a few tips on NOT selling, courtesy of “the man” himself:

1. The customer could give a rat’s behind if you are trying to win a contest, or anything about YOU. The customer wants to know what’s in it for them.

2. Your free gifts and mini-bribes have to be VALUABLE and RELEVANT to the person that you are talking to.

3. When you are announcing your USP to your customer, or even trying to break the ice with what you do, make sure that you don’t forget what it is you are selling and how if will benefit the customer. I still have no idea what that guy’s product did.

4. When you get a “NO,” make sure that you have a few follow-up answers to give the customer a few more chance to buy. Maybe you have not addressed all of their skepticism yet. Rico just turned around and got back in the van.

If you want to find out even more about how to close the sale much quicker, without really selling at all, check out this great guide to closing the sale.

NOW it’s your turn. I want to hear some of your crazy encounters with sales people that have really botched it up so bad that it made you laugh. Leave a comment below.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

www.closing-the-sale.com

Click the image to get the FREE Underdog Millionaire wealth Pack!

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Customer Research from A True Karate Master

Joshua Black — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:27:06 +0000

As you may or may not know, I am a martial artist in my spare time. I practice a certain style of Okinawan Karate.

That is pretty irrelevant except for some
of the great wisdom that my teacher
occasionally shares with us.

This latest one is a great tip for
finding exactly what you want from your
customers.

We were teaching a group of children and
one of the kids was particularly noisy that
day.

My teacher asked him “how many ears do you have?”
…kid says “2″

My teacher asks “how many eyes do you have?”
…kid says “2″

My teacher finally asks “how many mouths do you
have?”
…kid says “1, of course”
My teacher then says “then you should always be
watching and listening twice as much as you are
talking”

This is exactly what you should be doing around
your customers. Each time you interact with them,
you have the ability to gain information about
what they like, dislike, and ideas for future
projects.

Instead of just shuffling our feet and hoping
that you can get out of there and go play golf,
try to REALLY listen to what the person is saying.

Maybe your widget has a fatal flaw.

Maybe your customer service needs some tweaking.

Maybe your customer is just dying to tell someone
the greatest, million dollar idea in the world.

…or perhaps you just want to know where you
stand with them and whether or not they are looking
for a new supplier.

You can find out all of this stuff by watching
and listening twice as much as you are talking.

Your customers will think you are wise and you
will gain some really important research intel
in the process.

Until Tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

The One Rule to Close Every Sale

Joshua Black — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:07:32 +0000

I was speaking to a long-time friend last night and he is looking to start a career change by getting into B2B sales.

He had an interview with a chemical company,
where the guy that he was talking to basically
told it to him straight, saying that there is
nothing sexy about selling chemicals, what they
need is CLOSERS.

This is something that you may need in your
small business.

The ability to close the sale is as much of an
art as it is an attitude. You are not at that
sales call to make a new friend.

You are not on the phone consultation to tell
the customer what you are doing for the weekend.

You are not writing a sales letter, developing
a web site, or running your service business
because you really just needed something to pass
the time.

You are doing it to close the sale.

There are hundreds of ways to close the sale, from
the Zig Ziglar specials to long-term techniques of
building a relationship with your customers.

However, there is one thing that all closing methods
have in common.

It’s been going on since the first time a caveman
sold a lion drumstick to the guy next door for a
new baby seal blanket.

You have to ASK for the sale.

I’m sure this is not you, but there are way too
many small business owners that feel like they
are doing their customers a disservice by asking
for the sale.

They feel as if they are intruding by suggesting
useful products and services to their clients, or
perhaps they might make someone mad if they
dare ask if the customer wanted to buy something.

Customers are not visiting your business for fun-zies.

Customers love to buy.

If you have a product or service that can legitimately
help another person, then you have an OBLIGATION
to tell them about it.

If you had a chance to help out a friend, wouldn’t
you take it?

Well, consider your customers the same way. Show them
how your product or service will benefit them and then
ask for the close.

It’s about building trust.

It’s about building the relationship over time.

Your customers don’t want to shop around for
a new salesperson each time they have a similar
problem.

They want to have their “guy” or “gal”

Ask for the sale and all will be well.

Speaking of asking for the sale… if you want
to learn how to close the sale without having to
use worn-out tricks and half-baked pitches then
download the Underdog Sales Bible here:

http://www.closing-the-sale.com

Buy it.

Love it.

Or it’s free. That’s all there is to it.

Until Tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

A Product Pricing Strategy Courtesy of Michael Jackson’s Glove

Joshua Black — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:49:18 +0000

Recently an auction just finished up for a whole heap of items from Michael Jackson’s estate.

The prized item of the night, his white,
crystal-studded glove, went for $190,000.

Wow.

Since the King of Pop is no longer moon walking
with us, people are scrambling for any little
piece of him that they can get.

…and willing to pay HUGE piles of cash to get
it.

So what does this have to do with your own
small business? EVERYTHING.

You see, when you are developing a product
pricing strategy, you are starting with your market.

You are deciding if you are targeting people with
lots of money or people without much money.

You are deciding whether or not you want to have
a product that has a high perceived value, or
a commodity-like, discounted value.

One of the lessons that I teach in my Underdog
Pricing Report: http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com
is that you can create heirloom value out of your
stuff, just by the value that place on it.

Hence, the glove.

Just look at many of the products that we covet
on a daily basis. Their actual manufacturing costs
could be a few pennies, but the business owner
deliberately decided to only make a few of something
in order to keep the perceived value and the price
way up there.
Remember that there is no such thing as a true
price for ANYTHING. All value is perceived by the
buyer.

Just by increasing your prices, you can increase
the perceived value.

Many times, small business owners that are just
starting out, think that they don’t deserve to
command a high price for their product, so they
price it low, thinking they will make a splash
in the market.

That is a huge mistake, one that I have made myself
in the past.

If you want your customers to think that your
product or service has that heirloom value
that deserves to get such a big bag of cash, then
you need to show your customers why.

Dust off that white glove.

Put on some Billy Jean.

Add so much value to your product that your customer
will feel like they are stealing from you!

Product pricing strategy could be the most single,
import feature of a business where most people
have no idea how much money and business they have
left on the table.

I have spelled it all out for you.

I pull back the curtain, lay it all out on the
line, and give you a TON of information packed into
a solid report on how you can put MORE money in
your pocket, while doing LESS work, all with
your pricing strategy.

If you want some serious CHANGE in your small business
I highly suggest you check this out. You won’t be
sorry.

Just a single tip from this report alone could
make you thousands of dollars.

click here: http://www.product-pricing-strategy.com

Until Tomorrow,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Donald Trump’s Personal Small Business Tip Whispered to My Friend

Joshua Black — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:06:12 +0000

As the weekend has almost arrived, I thought I would leave you with a really valuable small business tip from none other than the wavy-haired man himself, Donald Trump.

To give you a little back-story on this, a
friend of mine who is a real estate investor
was giving a talk at a very prominent real
estate investing conference.

The showpiece guest speaker on the panel
was none other than Donald Trump.

You can imagine how my friend was sweating
bullets as he was sitting their on the panel
the “the Donald,” hoping that he wouldn’t
give any advice to the audience that would
be incorrect or not profitable.

His speech went well.

After everything was over he got an official
5 precise minutes of Mr. Trumps time and was
allowed to ask him some quick questions.

After trying to think of something profound,
my friend decided to play it safe and just
asked him for one piece of advice about business.

Here’s what the big D said…

He said “tell people just enough dirt so that
they trust you.”

This little statement could save the life of
your next sale. As you know, no one is perfect.
Therefore, business owners that try to show
that they are perfect end up losing the trust
of their customers.

This holds true for any copywriting that you
may do. Show a little skin. Give a little dirt
about your product or service.

“Our widget may not have the best paint job,
but the motor will last you 25 years or solid
service”

“We have not been around for 20 years, in fact
we just started our little business 6 months ago.
Because of that, we are going to work like hungry
animals to make sure you get the results you want.”

…something like that.

Of course you don’t want to go overboard and tell
your customer that you are a complete idiot and
couldn’t problem solve your way out of a paper
bag, or that your product doesn’t work at all.

There is a fine line between a little dirt and
way too much information.

There is so much truth to what Donald Trump said
on that fruitful day that I think it would be
wise to give it a shot in your own business.

Show that you are human and the human on the
other end of the transaction will allow you
to close the sale.

If you want some great advice for creating
your own sales letters, where you can let it
all hang out to your own customers, then
check out the Ultimate Sales Letter System
here:

http://www.sales-letter-system.com

Have a seriously awesome weekend and make
sure that you use enough hairspray to keep
that hairdo of yours in check.

Until Monday,

Joshua Black

*******************************************
Copyright 2010, Outer Limit Productions LLC.
All rights reserved.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Is it a Bird? A Plane? Nope, Just Another Underdog Millionaire

Joshua Black — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:43:39 +0000

So, as another weekend is upon us soon I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for becoming subscribers to the Underdog Millionaire family.

In case you haven’t subscribed sign up in the box

where it says “free stuff” ———–>

I created the Underdog Millionaire site
in order to help you grow your small business
as painlessly as possible, and help you
get the ability to show your customers that
you are WAAAAAAY better than any other alternative
that they are going to find.

I created the Underdog Millionaire site so
that you don’t have to feel like you are alone
when you are sitting at home, frustrated at
your kitchen table, wondering if your idea is
ever going to make it.

I created the Underdog Millionaire, because
none of us can build a profitable business
without help from others. The help that each
person requires is different, so I try to
mix it up as much as possible, offering
suggestions from many different angles.

…but it’s not just about me.

It’s really about you and what you want.
It’s also about what you are not getting and
the things that you would like to know about.

I can rant and rave and crack jokes about
pea stands, my dog, or Lady Gaga all day
long, but at the end of the day, if you are
not getting out of this what you signed up
for, then I am not doing my job.

Therefore, I am humbly looking for requests.
What can I help you with in upcoming issues
of the Tip Sheet?

What product could I develop for you that
would help turn your business around?

What business problem are you having that
is totally keeping you up at night, wondering
how if you are going to make it through to
the other side?

What would you like to change about the
Underdog Millionaire if you could?

What do you think I’m doing well and want
to see more of?

The more input that I can get back from you,
my customers, the more I can customize the
site, hone it to perfection, and provide you
with that one, safe haven that you can go
to to learn how to kick a lot of serious bootie
with your powerful small business.

So, let’s hear it!

If you are brave enough, you can share your
message with everyone else and post it at the
bottom of this article, here on the blog.

See you on the other side and thank you in advance
for all of your comments. I can’t wait to see
what you come up with.

Remember, if you have a question that you are
willing to raise, you can bet that there are
probably a thousand other people out there with
the same issue, but weren’t strong enough to ask.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

P.S. Now what would a Underdog Millionaire Tip
Sheet be without a tiny sales pitch? I just wanted
to keep you in the loop about my next, huge book,
Underdog Marketing 101. Here, I’m going to give you
101 different FREE techniques that you can use to
attract new (and old) customers.

It’s just getting the final cherry on top and I
should be coming out with it in just a few weeks.

Those of you that have been EXTRA-loyal customers
(and you know who you are) are going to get the
deal of a lifetime on this product.

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

The Quiet Art of Networking… No More Shooting Your Customers in The Face

Joshua Black — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:32:59 +0000

Last night a man was robbed and at some point during the altercation the robber was kind enough to shoot the victim in the face.

Instead of doing what most mortals do and
keeling over from this lethal wound, by
some sheer chance of luck (for the first
time in human history as far as I know),
the victim caught the bullet in his teeth.

Superhero-style.

Of course this was a case of bad aim and
weird timing. I don’t believe the victim
was trying to actually catch the bullet.

…but in a case of weird timing and at
the expense of his front tooth, the guy
walked away from the incident unharmed.

Are you doing this to your customers?

Are you using interruption advertising,
or unsolicited phone calls in order to get
business?

Most of this form of advertising can feel
like a shot to the face for some people,
and at the same time, we marketers are
expecting each customer to catch that
bullet in their teeth and instantly want
to make a purchase.

It doesn’t work like that however.

Most interruption marketing doesn’t work
at all and the bullet drops the customer
like a sack of potatoes.

There is a better way.

That way is networking.

When you join a group of like-minded,
but non-competing inividual business
owners together, all meaning to help each
other out, you can get a FLOOD of new
customers banging down your door.

With a network comes the power of referrals
amongst the members.

When someone is referred it is no longer
an interruption. It’s an invitation.

When the person is invited, the tables
become turned and the customer may almost
feel as if they have to prove to you that
they are worthy of you service.

This is a powerful position to be in, and
the rate of closing is MUCH higher than
just walking down the street shooting your
customers in the face randomly with interruption
ads.

Think about it.

If you want to bring the awesome power of
networking into your small business download
my Underdog Networking Formula here:
http://www.how-to-business-network.com

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________

Do Not Repeat My Dentist’s Money-Losing Marketing Mistake

Joshua Black — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:56:48 +0000

Awhile back I wrote a piece about my old dentist and his terrible customer service policy.

After going to him for 10+ years, I took
my business elsewhere due to a stupid policy
that lost him a lot of business.

You can read more about that old post here.

Since then, I got a new dentist, and just the
other day I got a reminder card for my next
appointment.

Although I like the new guy a lot, he made a
grave marketing mistake that I bet will cost
him a ton of money over the years.

Instead of sending me a card with my next pre-
scheduled appointment, he sent me a reminder
card that I should call and schedule my own
appointment after a certain date.

This may seem like a small difference, but
this is HUGE!

When a business sends you anything that is
pre-scheduled, they have done the heavy
lifting for you, and are just giving you
a reminder that you need to show up.

When they remind you that you need to call
them and schedule you own appointment, you
will end up losing tons of money, because
people will just blow it off and will wait
to actually make that appointment.

Who REALLY wants to go to the dentist?

Who REALLY wants to do a lot of things that
us small business owners sell?

That’s why it is our job to remind people,
do all of the heavy lifting ourselves and
make it stupid-simple for the customer.

After all, you just want them to show up,
right?

So, if you ever have a situation in the
future where you are abou to make your customer
do most of the heavy lifting in order to close
the sale or have them show up to an appointment,
you might want to re-think it.

If you want to know 101 more ways to get a
new flood of customers banging down your door,
stay tuned.

The Underdog Marketing 101 course will be
coming out soon.

It contains 101 FREE ways to bring more customers
into ANY business, on-line and off.

Until tomorrow,

Joshua Black

Download these other great products to help
your business earn huge piles of moolah:

_________________________________________